The Scam

"Friend?" Lynn suddenly understood. No wonder Elaine had taken this job—she had made an arrangement with Gray beforehand?

"Yes. One of my friends is in the Whispering Forest, but I suddenly haven't been able to contact her lately..."

"So you found Gray, and he told you he knew where your friend was?"

Seeing Elaine nod gently, her green eyes as clear as those of a college student fresh out looking for work, Lynn immediately sensed trouble.

"Did he show you any proof? How could you be so sure he knew where your friend was?"

Elaine's eyes widened at that. "But he's a three-star Adventurer!"

"..."

Three-star Adventurers were certainly impressive, but had she really still not noticed that something was wrong?

"I think we were both scammed. This special mission was a trap from the beginning—a scam targeting mages."

He even suspected Gray was one of those involved.

Lynn thought of the powerful vine plant, as well as the Mana-Sucking Monster that had suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the Whispering Forest.

"Anyway, let's head back first."

Elaine naturally had no objection. She had very little mana left, though fortunately, her shoulder injury was not serious.

After eating some dry rations to restore their strength, the two set off along the trail toward Colin Town.

"Lynn, if possible, I'd also like to ask for your help..."

Help find that friend? Elaine really was anxious.

Lynn did not agree right away. Instead, he asked, "Why is your friend in the Whispering Forest? Is she an Adventurer too?"

"No, she's somewhat special..." Elaine stammered. "Anyway, I hope you can help me find her!"

Lynn frowned. That told him nothing. "Why not report it directly to the Adventurer's Guild? They could gather stronger Adventurers to search, and having an official record would be safer too..."

He suddenly stopped speaking. This special mission had been issued by the guild. Could there be an insider in the official organization too?

"Anyway, I won't agree unless you explain things clearly. The Whispering Forest is far too dangerous for us. If your friend has been there all this time, then I'm afraid..."

Elaine hurriedly explained, "No, no, no, she isn't in danger. I can tell you—she's a Druid. She came to the Whispering Forest to train, but I suddenly haven't been able to contact her lately..."

Her green eyes were filled with unease. "I'm worried she ran into some trouble during her training. She's very powerful, so I'm not worried about her being killed by monsters."

A powerful Druid? Lynn's interest was piqued. Druids were quite rare even among spellcasters, as they relied heavily on Bloodline inheritance and affinity with nature.

"I have a magical item she gave me. It can help us conceal ourselves, but it needs to be prepared in advance before it can work."

Elaine spoke sincerely. She had just witnessed Lynn's strength, and he had saved her twice. She was convinced that only Lynn could help her now.

"I-I'll pay you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

What a bold claim... Lynn smiled at Elaine. "I can help you, but first I need to know who you really are."

He was far too curious about this to let it go. He had to confirm it.

Elaine immediately lowered her head, then glanced around like a squirrel preparing to hide food.

"D-Do I really have to say it?" she asked, sounding aggrieved.

"You don't have to. But Miss Elaine, you don't want this to drag on forever, do you? What if you run into what happened today again? That isn't exactly rare among Adventurers!"

Elaine was clearly frightened by his words. After hesitating for a while, she said softly, "Actually, my full name is Elaine Frey."

So she really was from the Frey Family?

Lynn casually joked, "Don't tell me your father happens to be Lawrence Frey?"

Elaine slowly nodded.

Good grief. Lynn instantly choked.

This healing mage really was the lord's daughter. Her father's bronze statue was still standing in the central square of Colin Town!

Lynn did not know what to think. The person he had saved on a whim was actually such a prominent noble.

When he had said he could help, he had only wanted to trick Elaine into revealing her true identity.

But now, he was genuinely wavering.

If he prepared thoroughly, it wasn't impossible to help her, was it? Building a good relationship with a noble would have a huge impact on his future.

Under Elaine's sparkling, expectant gaze, Lynn lightly covered half his face, his voice muffled as he said:

"I need to discuss it with my teammates."

"Teammates?" Elaine was somewhat surprised. She had thought Lynn was like her, an inexperienced independent newcomer.

"Mm." Lynn nodded. "They were the ones who got me started. A group of very reliable people, though their personalities are a little strange..."

The terrain in the area where Colin Town met the Whispering Forest was flat and very safe. Even along the smaller trails, one would at most encounter insignificant monsters like slimes.

The reason was that it lay under the protection of the Mage Tower.

Several decades ago, Colin Town had only been a remote border town of the Yaxia Kingdom, poor and underdeveloped. Being adjacent to the Whispering Forest, it suffered greatly from monster attacks.

That was until a magical merchant caravan clad in robes embroidered with golden thread arrived.

They called themselves mages of the Golden Tower, as well as skilled merchants. With keen eyes, they spotted the business opportunities hidden within Colin Town.

Monsters—an endless supply of monster resources.

Though most were low-star monsters, there were many of them and the cost of hunting them was low. The rewards, pelts, flesh and bones, rare materials... were enough to support an enormous industrial chain.

Before long, under the Golden Tower's leadership, Colin Town became a commercial town centered on monster trading. Its honest local customs, beautiful natural surroundings, and rich variety of products even attracted many visitors from other regions.

"Pick up a weapon, and you can gain wealth!" This simple slogan once led to half the town's adult men joining the Adventurer's Guild.

After all, registering as a one-star Adventurer had almost no threshold. All one needed was to demonstrate basic combat ability and not fear death.

But advancing further was quite difficult for ordinary commoners.

"Let's report the situation to the Magic Association first." Lynn suspected the Adventurer's Guild had a problem, so he decided to visit the Magic Association first. After all, five mages had been caught up in this incident. They would not simply stand by.

After three hours, the two finally reached Colin Town. Starving, Lynn took Elaine to a random roadside stall for lunch.

Elaine naturally had no objections. She politely stuffed a piece of roasted chicken into her mouth. The chicken was dry and tough, and as this young noblewoman chewed, her cheeks puffed out slightly. Her delicate brows furrowed, giving her an oddly serious look.

Not picky at all... Smiling, Lynn took a sip of wine from an oak cup, then immediately frowned. Hadn't this wine been watered down way too much? What a rip-off!

After they finished eating, Lynn took out a silver coin and waited for the owner to give him change.

This simple lunch had cost seventy-three copper coins. What returned to his hand were twenty-seven yellowish-brown little metal discs.

That was all the money he had now...

Lynn smiled bitterly to himself. He had wanted to make a fortune on this mission, but he had ended up with nothing.